Local News

Election equipment to be tested next week

Ballots to be sent on Oct. 16

A Morgan County voter drops off her ballot at the county administration building in 2015. The county will be using new election equipment in this year's election. (Jenni Grubbs / Fort Morgan Times)

Morgan County will be using new equipment to tally votes this November but the county isn't waiting until the election to fire up its new machines. Logic and accuracy testing of the new equipment will be conducted at the county's administration building next week and the public is invited to watch.

Election judges and other representatives from Fort Morgan and the other communities participating in the coordinated election will oversee the testing process after taking an oath. The testing will take place on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.

"So what we do is we test with a test ballot that are actually marked and then put through the process to be scanned to make sure that our equipment is tallying correctly and everything is working appropriately before we actually go into a live election," Morgan County Clerk and Recorder Susan Bailey said.

Bailey said that the state requires a certain number of ballots to be tested so that every way a ballot can be marked including over-votes and under-votes is tested to ensure ballots are being counted accurately.

According to Bailey, this is the third time the new voting equipment will be tested out.

Because Colorado is now an all-mail ballot state, all ballots will be sent via mail on Oct. 16. However, residents will still have the option to vote in-person at the county administration building.

Those residents eligible to vote in races involving tax increases, including one in Fort Morgan, will also receive TABOR notices containing analysis of tax-related questions. Colorado law requires that the county send such notices, which will be sent out on Oct. 6.

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Bailey said all Morgan County registered voters, except those who live in unincorporated Morgan County within the Brush school district, will receive ballots. The Brush School Board cancelled a ballot question earlier this year and there are not enough school board candidates for contested races. Bailey said those registered voters will instead receive an information card explaining why they were not receiving a ballot.

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